Pelicans NBA Draft: A Duke wing with All-Star upside in the second round
By Nick Alvarez
New Orleans Pelicans NBA Draft: Cassius Stanley is one of the 200 NBA Drafts’ most athletically gifted players
Cassius Stanley’s Strengths
If we’re talking about Cassius Stanley’s strengths, we’re beginning with his athletism. Stanley is plain and simple an athletic marvel.
An absolute freak on the floor, Stanley can run up and down the court in transition both ways without losing any stamina. His vertical bounce is insane for a guy at 6’6″ to the point that he’s a major lob threat, and can get above the rim easily when attacking the basket.
Stanley’s athleticism bleeds into every part of the game too. His combination of a 6’7″ wingspan with speed and vertical abilities allows him to show flashes of being a great defender at the NBA level. A player that can stall attacking guards and lockdown opposing wings when positioned correctly.
The aforementioned vertical hops Stanley possesses, allows him to be a great rebounder for a player of his size which is why he pulled down 5 boards a game in limited minutes for Duke this past season.
The added bonus to Cassius Stanley’s game is that unlike most players who get away with using their athletic abilities to excel on the court, Stanley’s a decent shooter too. In his lone season at Duke, Stanley hit 36% of his threes and his spot-up shooting was actually reliable.
Now let’s dive into where Cassius Stanley needs to improve at the NBA level.